Love Takes Time: A Miefer Love Story

Unguarded

If the curve of you was curved on me

I'd tell you that I loved you before I ever knew you

'Cause I loved the simple thought of you

If our hearts are never broken and there's no joy in the mending

There's so much this hurt can teach us both

There's distance and there's silence, your words have never left me

They're the prayer that I say every day

- New York by Snow Patrol

***

After stepping out of the room, the class was quiet for a full 5 seconds and I waited before, as I expected, they exploded all of a sudden. Well... This should be fun.

-

"Wow... Um, I guess, I should introduce myself. I'm Adam."

"Ay, hi."

"Does Ms. Reyes have a first name?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Mika."

"Mika, as in the DJ?"

"Yeah... Sure...?"

"I take it you don't know him."

"Oh, Mika's a him. Yeah, I don't. Sorry."

He smiled and that was the first thing I noticed about him. It was friendly, approachable... This could work. I hope.

"Ummm, just a question. Do you by any chance speak Filipino?"

"Oh yeah, I do. It's just that students here talk to me in English, assuming I don't know how to converse in Tagalog, so I talk back in kind."

"Oh, thank God. Akala ko mahihirapan ako magsalita eh. Pero your 'ta-ga-log' sounds funny to my ears, no offense."

"Yeah, I speak it, I understand it, but I still have problems with the emphasis at times. And para namang wala kang issue sa pag-e-english. From the little that you've said to me, you speak just fine."

"The operative term being, little. Feeling ko masisimot mo vocabulary ko in a month, hahaha!"

He gave me a look, and then commented:

"You have a nice laugh."

I know I looked confused at his non sequitur for a second. Then I scratched my chin lightly, a bit embarassed. "Uhh, thanks."

"I've seen you play volleyball, you're great!"

I smiled now as we began to talk that are in my comfort zone.

"Tons of room for improvement pa, pero I do what I can. Thanks though.

Ikaw, do you play any sports?"

"I play a little basketball, but I'm mostly a football guy."

"Oh, team B ka ba? Bakit parang di kita nakikita?"

"Oh, you mean competitively. No. Just for fun. Too busy with school to try out for the team."

"Sayang naman... Are you any good?"

He raised his eyebrows in reaction to my question.

And just then, I realized how it came out and I blushed in embarrassment...

"I meant... sorry... Ibig kong sabihin... Oh forget it. that came out so wrong...Uggghhh..."

He suddenly laughed and good-naturedly responded, "Don't worry about it. I just thought for a second you were... Don't worry about it."